Books and Books Thinks Ahead

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--

Of cabbages--and kings--

And why the sea is boiling hot--

And whether pigs have wings."

I do not know about the pigs with wings deal, but the time has come for our sand, seas and sidewalks to start aboiling: Yes, folks, we are teetering on the brink of summer in the city.

With multi-homed friends packed up to cooler climes, year ‘round Floridians are face to face with several torpid months without that pesky social life to get in the way of solitary pursuits. Mitchell Kaplan’s Books & Books establishment is way ahead of us and on the job of travel agent for that inner journey.

Book lectures abound to refresh the mind and fill your frontal lobe with new and fascinating facts and ideas to assure your platinum stature on next seasons “must invite” list. What better way to while away the summer months (between wrestling with hurricane shutters) than curling up in front of the air conditioner with a good book. 

Let’s start with June dates. Don’t forget to add these events immediately to your calendar or ask SIRI to remind you in due time.  

June 7, Thursday, 8:00pm:  Rochelle Weinstein is the Miami resident and author of What We Leave Behind.  Since we are the ones left behind for the summer perhaps this book should be purchased for our friends.Weinstein's book looks at the road not taken. The official blurb: “young and mature - and one woman's journey through her first romantic relationship, its betrayal and and how a single choice instantly and profoundly alters the trajectory of her life.” If you think you’re ready to handle thinking about your personal parallel universe, give this author a whirl. Rochelle Weinstein

June 8, Friday, 8:00pm: Richard Ford the Pultizer prize-winning author, will be sporting his new book, Canada relating the effects a robbery his parents “performed” when he was a teenager has had on his life - in case you think your parents got the most embarrassing award when you were sixteen. Perhaps it should’ve been called “Robbed of his Childhood”....never mind.... maybe Ford knows best.  Richard Ford / photo Robert Jordan

June 9, Saturday, 8:00pm: Leonard Pitts Miami's own well respected columnist with his novel, Freeman, about a man who returns to the South after the Civil War to look for his wife and mother of his only child, whom he left behind 15 years earlier on the Mississippi farm to which they belonged. Pitts has won many awards including the 2004 Pulitzer prize for Commentary. Leonard Pitts

June 12th, Tuesday, 8:00pm: Robert Goolrick author of the very popular novel The Unreliable Wife, visiting Miami with his new follow-up book Heading Out to Wonderful, about “a love gone horribly wrong” says one review. And is there any other way for it to go, she asked?  Robert Goolrick

June 13th, Wednesday, 8:00pm: Mark Shriver son of Sargent Shriver (founder of the Peace Corps) and Eunice Kennedy (founder of Special Olympics and sister of the late president John F. Kennedy), has written a biography A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sarge Shriver, the principles his father lived by and growing up in this famous family.  Mark Shriver /photo Laurence L. Levin

June 14th, Thursday, 8:00pm: Sara Lawrence Lightfoot sociologist, professor at the Harvard Grad. School of Education and chair of the MacArthur Foundation, will share her 10th book, Exit: The Endings That Set Us Free. The book explores the ways we leave one thing and move on to the next, by interviewing a variety of people in the midst of change: a 16 year old boy forced to leave Iran in the midst of the violent civil war; a Catholic priest who leaves the Church and a gay man who finds peace after coming out.   Sara Lawrence Lightfoot/photo Janet Knott

June 24th, Sunday, 7:00pm: Steven Raichlen Coconut Grove resident and “chef accompli” sharing his first novel, Island Apart. And yes, food and cooking are involved in the plot line, along with finding strength, love and secrets.  Steve Raichlen

All talks to be held at the Coral Gables, Books & Books store at 8:00PM (except Stephen Raichlen at 7:00PM) 265 Aragon Avenue Coral Gables, 305.442.4408 

http://www.booksandbooks.com/coralgables 

The readings below are co-presented with The Center at MDC for Literature and Theatre at Miami Dade College:

June 8, 8pm Coral Gables/Richard Ford, Canada

June 12, 8pm, Coral Gables/Robert Goolrick, Heading Out to Wonderful

June 22, 8pm, Coral Gables/Pablo Medina, Cubop City Blues

June 24, 7pm Coral Gables/Steven Raichlen - Island Apart (it's the BBQ King's first novel)

June 25, 8pm,Coral Gables/Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones (National Book Award winner)